Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Isis // Soulful Beauty of the Week

"I feel most creative when I take myself seriously. I feel creative when I recognize my own light. My desire to motivate and inspire others, inspires me. I live in true freedom and peace physically, mentally, and emotionally and my heart yearns for others to know how fulfilling that is and to understand that it is obtainable for all of us."

*Describe your a-ha moment.
My a-ha moment, mmm—that’s a hard one because they happen to me so often. I think the most significant a-ha moment I’ve ever had was accepting Isis--the good, the bad, the hideous and everything in between and even more importantly, finding the value in being Isis.

The day that I began to live was the day I learned that no matter what I have done or will do in my life, I can only do them as Isis and for Isis and the only person whose judgment I need worry about is the good Lord’s.

Accepting this allowed me to remove the stress of trying to impress others from my life, doing what others thought was best for my life, holding mistakes I’ve made against myself. Ultimately I learned the beauty of spiritual and emotional freedom and that is the best a-ha moment I feel anybody can have.

*Tell us something about your personality that used to bother you, but you've now learned to love and use to your advantage?

I am such a do-gooder. I ALWAYS want to help. As you might know many people say that although a do-gooder’s intentions are always positive, we have a tendency of being ineffective.

Being a do-gooder never bothered me. I will never find an attempt to help anyone as useless or ineffective. The attempt in and of itself is so commendable to me. The irritation began when I used to feel that I gave so much of myself to and for other people and hardly ever was my kindness, generosity, etc. reciprocated or verbally appreciated by those particular individuals.

As all things in life though, the more you grow the more you know. I now realize that being a do-gooder was never my fault. My fault was expecting a ‘thank you’ or reciprocated action in return. I needed to realize that doing good brings good—no matter what—just maybe not in the way we see fit. I bless others so that I can be blessed and that has been both a great privilege and advantage to my lifestyle.

*What’s your best piece of woman-to-woman advice?

You’re someone’s dream girl. The way you look, talk, act, walk is perfect to someone out there in this world. Always remember that. Until you find him or her, be your own dream girl. Take care of yourself now the way you would if you found the person of your dreams already. Once you find and RECOGNIZE the true value in yourself, you will not allow that to be diminished, unappreciated, or unexpected from anything or anyone you come up against.

*What has been your favorite mistake?

My favorite mistake is never being afraid to make one. I’m not saying I never get scared, but when I feel my heart is speaking I exude a fearlessness out of this world. Hence, my living in New York City right now. Things don’t always turn out the way I intend them to, but I never feel bad about trying and I’m never afraid to start over. Erykah Badu has a verse in her song ‘Didn’t Cha Know’ that explains what I mean perfectly:

Time to save the world / Where in the world is all the time / So many things I still don't know / So many times I've changed my mind / Guess I was born to make mistakes / But I ain't scared to take the weight / So when I stumble off the path / I know my heart will guide me back

*What is your favorite way to express yourself creatively? Are you currently working on any projects?
Writing feeds my soul. I am very new to being a professional writer, but I have always had a journal, wrote songs, poetry, plays, love letters, angry letters—you name it. I think it is one of the best ways to express and capture what you are truly feeling at that very moment, especially when you hand write something in pen. It cannot be backspaced, erased, nor forgotten (even if you scribble it out, it’s still behind the scribble). It’s beautiful.

You can really take heed to your own growth by writing things down when you feel them (yes, even if you are a little unjust in your approach at the time) because when you re-read these things you will be able to reflect on how much you’ve grown since writing it. Even more importantly, you will be to see and appreciate the lesson learned, whether it had been a positive or negative experience that brought about what you wrote.

The Goddess Column is a continuous project for me. She is only 4 months old and is growing so beautifully, but I will never stop working towards making a visit to thegoddesscolumn.com one of the most memorable, motivational, and inspirational experiences one can have.

*How does having a creative outlet promote emotional health and well-being?

Oh my God, I couldn’t imagine my life without a creative outlet. I would still be a victim of depression. I would still be a victim of an unfulfilling life. I would still have ‘what ifs’ and ‘I cannots’ in my heart literally handicapping me from achieving peace and happiness in life. There is an indescribable ecstasy I experience every single time I utilize my creative outlet. Having a creative outlet is one of the healthiest lifestyle decisions a person can make. It shows that (as I keep insinuating) you have accepted yourself for who you are and better yet, that you’re willing to share who you are with others.

*Have you ever experienced depression or anxiety and how have you gotten through it?

I have definitely battled with both depression and anxiety, but as I always remind myself, “what a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer.” That was the first part of my healing process. My faith is undying. After giving my burdens to God, I then made the necessary lifestyle changes towards happy and healthy. That meant less worrying, better friends, healthier living (mentally, physically, and emotionally) and as usual a closer walk with God.

To make sure I didn’t add on to the anxiety I already felt, I gave myself the time necessary to truly deal with and break through the pain my heart was experiencing and once I overcame those burdens I made sure that I would continue practicing the things that helped me be delivered daily. I fed my spirit and soul with the things that make me and God happy. Thankfully, I haven’t had to face either of those burdens since.

*What do you not want us to know?

I am a horrible short-distance driver! Well, actually, I think I’m a great driver, but I am very much so the cause of plenty of people’s road rage. I drive slowly, safely, and by every last one of the rules of the road--but a near-death experience caused by a car accident will do that to you!

*When do you feel most creative? What inspires you?

I feel most creative when I take myself seriously. I feel creative when I recognize my own light. My desire to motivate and inspire others, inspires me. I live in true freedom and peace physically, mentally, and emotionally and my heart yearns for others to know how fulfilling that is and to understand that it is obtainable for all of us.

*How do you soothe yourself when you are upset, disappointed, angry, jealous?

As I mentioned earlier, besides prayer, I’m very fond of writing my feelings down. That is one way I cope with being angry or disappointed. Most times when I am upset or disappointed I express my reasoning in a letter addressed to whoever may have caused these feelings—communication. I usually write a letter because the person reading will better be able to understand my emotion and therefore, feel more comfortable having a conversation that will work to resolve whatever issue has arisen between us.

With jealousy, as much as I hate to admit that it happens to me sometimes, I do my best to alter those feelings into goals. I allow it to motivate me. What is it that I’m jealous about? How can I make it so that I can achieve/obtain the very things that they have? Is there value in what they have? Do you need what they have or are you just being selfish, Isis?

When I’m writing my feelings down I have a tendency to confide in one of my best friends I may never meet—Erykah Badu. I feel so much light in her music and I connect so well with the stories she tells that there has almost never been a time that listening to her music didn’t calm my spirit.

*What does it mean to you to be a soulful beauty?

Being a soulful beauty means the world to me. It’s confirmation that I’m letting my light shine and therefore, have been given the ability and opportunities to help someone else embrace and share their own light. It means I’m fulfilling my purpose in life. It means I’m making both God and myself very, very proud.

*What is your favorite quote, scripture or affirmation?
In A Return to Love Marianne Williamson writes some of the truest words I’ve read in my entire life:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Gosh, this piece is just so powerful. It makes me want to scream out “Hallelujah!” from the mountain tops. What a beauty there is in inspiring others to let their light shine as you, yourself, have been strong enough to do. What a beauty there is in recognizing that there is NO reason to play small so that others will not feel insecure around you. What a beauty there is in helping others see that they, too, can live in the divine peace and happiness I have found in my own life at the tender age of 23. I live to inspire others.Whether it is just to be happy or to find their purpose in life, I hope my life shows someone somewhere that it is possible. Thank you so much for helping me fulfill my destiny, GG. God bless.

2 comments:

This is very inspirational and powerful and will help someone accomplish their dreams. There is some young lady/man out there that doesn't have positive role models and think they can't come out on top and this shows them that they can create goals and succeed. You don't have to look at others and be jealous of what they have, you can obtain what's meant to be yours. Goddess Isis, thanks for being a light at the end of someone's tunnel. Te Wanda

WRITE WITH ME

Welcome! I’m GG Renee. Author. Coach. Feeler. Overthinker. If you are a crazy beautiful complex free creative inspired love drunk woman, then you are in the right place. I write to inspire you. Here, we explore all the many layers of being a soulful woman. If you'd like to find out more, start here.